Aerostatic aircraft provided with translation propulsion systems have long been known, for example, as Zeppelins. These airships can take off and land essentially vertically by virtue of their aerostatic lift behavior, but, since they are predominantly lighter than air, they have to be restrained whenever they are held on the ground. Moreover, these aircraft are relatively sluggish to control, since, because of their slow speed and their small aerodynamic control surfaces, they have low control authority, that is to say high reaction inertia to control movements. Admittedly, airships have recently become known, which have main propulsion systems that tilt comparatively slowly about a transverse axis and laterally act as auxiliary propulsion systems for assisting the aerodynamic control. These propulsion systems reduce the turning circle of an airship, but it has not been possible for the airship to achieve "pinpoint" maneuverability. Another disadvantage of airships with an elongated streamlined body shape is their extremely high sensitivity to crosswind. In cross-winds it is necessary to restrain the airship on the ground in such a way that it can turn into the wind in the same way as a boat at a buoy. Anchor masts generally being necessary for this purpose.
Furthermore, vertical take-off aircraft are known, the engines of which are tilt out of a vertical lift position with a horizontal propeller rotation plane and a horizontal propulsion position with a vertical propeller rotation plane. One problem of these vertical take-off aircraft with tilting engines is the control of the gyroscopic forces which occur when the engines are tilted and which have to be supported via solid supporting structures on the aircraft wings and on the fuselage. On account of these gyroscopic forces, the tilting of the engines can take place only relatively slowly. These vertical take-off aircraft are likewise controlled essentially via aerodynamic control devices. Since, during the vertical take-off of these aircraft, the engines alone have to generate the lift of the aircraft as a whole, the load capable of being transported in addition to the aircraft's own weight is very limited.